Monday, November 16, 2009

Thoughts on Sarah Palin

Palin on Oprah

The long speculated (and hyped) interview between the Queen of Daytime and Caribou Barbie finally aired today. I am not a fan of Oprah nor am I a supporter of Palin, but I tuned in, mostly out of curiosity.

The questions and tone were predictable. It is a well known fact that Oprah is an enormous (pardon the pun) Obama supporter. In fact, I wonder what would have happened if Oprah had been on Team Hillary, different outcome? Hmmmm...anyway...back to the big sit-down. It was lame, as most Oprah interviews are. Palin didn't screw anything up, she loves her family and her country. Oprah was less than warm, but, like Martha Stewart, I believe Oprah is more affectionate to her dogs than she is any other human being.

Me on Palin

Sarah Palin is very likable. She comes across as genuine and cheerful. She is good looking. Her closets are free of skeletons. She is unapologetic for her point of view, without being judgmental of others. A recipe for the perfect Republican nominee for POTUS? Not so much.

Female (and black) conservatives are treated like factory irregulars that should be discounted or tossed away. They are subject to more scrutiny and attacks. I'm not sure if Palin can handle this without coming across as whiny or small town. She has to accept that men and women are critiqued differently. Fair or not, it is a fact. She has to master the art of entering every situation as if it is hostile, without looking bitchy or annoyed. She has to artfully kill with kindness, all who cross her, without appearing clueless or naive. And, Todd is going to have to embrace the idea of being called, Mr. Mom...albeit, the badass, outdoorsy, hunting and fishing, snow machine racing kind.

A friend (and DC insider) and I chatted the other day about Palin. He likes her, but would like for her to improve. I asked him why she uses Facebook as her primary source of communication. His take: most likely, she likes Facebook and since she was able to make the jump from Mayor to Governor, doing things her way, she is reluctant to change.

Palin needs a bit of coaching, not to change 'who she is' but to change *how she does things*. Using Facebook as an outlet to reach supporters, is fine, but she has to use other avenues as well. There is a huge conservative movement on Twitter, Palin's tweets are less than few and far between. Twitter and Facebook can be used in conjunction with one another, she should know this and utilize. Also, Palin has an official PAC, its website was last updated, this summer to announce that she was not seeking a second term as Governor of Alaska. You can't raise money on Facebook. You can, however, raise money, send out emails and update supporters through a PAC, in fact that is exactly why they exist.

I wish Sarah Palin all the best, as a private citizen. There has been chatter of a talk show. I would lurve to see Hillary Clinton as her first guest. Maybe that could top Naomi Campbell's appearance on The Tyra Show...a girl can dream, can't she?

3 comments:

I also agree with you on Sarah Palin. I don't think she is a good representation of the republican party nor does she posses the characteristics ofsomeone who can operate successfully at the national level IMO.